


Two Halves of a Whole

by pr3tty_pumpk1n



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, But not Super!Danny or Fun!Danny, Danny-centric, Do you get a happy ending?, Everyone is in a lot of pain, Except for the agents, F/M, Graphic depictions of violence - Freeform, Hurt Danny, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Is it Fenton/Phantom?, It's up to your preferences my dudes, Kinda?, M/M, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Or is it Fenton & Phantom, Other, Protective Danny Phantom, Separate Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom, Sorry Not Sorry, Split Danny, That's a little bit of a lie, Torture, You'll never know unless you read, well..., you can read it either way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:47:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24520318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pr3tty_pumpk1n/pseuds/pr3tty_pumpk1n
Summary: Fenton was burning from the inside out. All he could feel was blistering heat. Why was it so hot? Phantom was cold. Phantom was supposed to be with him. He was too empty. He was too hot. He wanted to be with Phantom. He wanted to be—Cold.
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Danny Phantom, Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom, It's up to you guys, Jack Fenton/Maddie Fenton, Jazz Fenton & Sam Manson, Jazz Fenton & Tucker Foley, Jazz Fenton & Vlad Masters, Tucker Foley & Sam Manson
Comments: 14
Kudos: 185
Collections: You haven’t lived if you haven’t read this





	Two Halves of a Whole

**Author's Note:**

> So, it's like, seven months late, but I had a sudden epiphany bc of the s5 ep28 of Steven Universe, "Change Your Mind." You don't need to have seen it to read this, but I got such a headcanon from it. Splitting Danny into Fenton and Phantom is just about lethal for Fenton because he was bonded at the molecular level to ectoplasm. Like, I don't know about you, but I don't think having, like, half of _everything_ in your body rip away from you is good for your health. That's about it, though. I hope you guys enjoy!!

Jazz sighed, drawing her legs to her chest. Her, Sam, and Tucker were sitting in her room, the former two conversing while Tucker checked the news on his PDA. "And you're really sure that you haven't seen him?" Jazz asked again, and Sam sent her a look. "Right, sorry. I'm just... I'm worried." Sam's expression shifted into sympathy. "I know, Jazz. We all are," she reminded gently. "We'll find him; don't worry. Cujo and Wulf have been checking everywhere, and Vlad has Skulker practically ripping apart the Ghost Zone." Then she chuckled mirthlessly. "I still can't believe you and Danny got through to him. It's crazy to think that all he needed was some therapy." Jazz smiled at that. "Well, if you think about it—"

"Uh, guys?" Both girls looked over at Tucker, who was slowly sitting up. "What is it, Tuck? Did you find something?" The techno-geek nodded and scooted so that the two could look at his screen. On it was an unfamiliar agent from the Guys in White. He had an thin build and a cleft chin; he had startling teal eyes and curly brown hair and was obviously of Asian descent. Over the usual GIW suit, he was outfitted with a lab coat.

"Good day, citizens of Amity Park," he greeted. "My name is Kotarou Yanagisawa, and I'm the lead scientist of the Guys in White. I'm here on behalf of the entirety of the organization." The three of them exchanged a look. "I apologize if I interrupted anyone's evening by using the Ghost Emergency Broadcast System, but today, the Guys in White and I would like to celebrate a momentous occasion with you all." He smiled, and the sharpness of it sent chills up their spines. "Four days ago, we captured the infamous Phantom." The three froze, pure fear sinking into the marrow of their bones. "On the same day, we realized that he was overshadowing a living boy by the name of Daniel Fenton."

"No," Jazz whispered. "This can't be happening." Sam whipped out her phone to find the same thing displayed on the Amity News Channel. "Fuck," Sam swore before whipping towards Tucker, amethyst eyes blazing in righteous anger. "We don't have time for this. Tucker, find out where the signal is coming from. Jazz, call Vlad. I'll get your parents."

In a mad dash, all three of them were rushing out of Jazz's room. Sam took barely two steps down the stairs before leaping over the rest, landing in a crouch. Then she raced towards the Fentons' lab while the other two branched off towards the garage. Sam vaulted down those stairs too, startling the Fenton parents with her sudden entry. "Oh, Sam, what are you—"

"We found Danny. He's in life-threatening danger. We need to get in the RV now. Tucker started it up," she rushed out, watching their faces grow paler at each word. Immediately, Sam took off up the stairs, followed closely by her best friend's parents. "Where is he?" Maddie asked immediately. "The Guys in White captured him," she grunted, leading the way out of the house and into the Fenton RV; Maddie and Jack nearly stumbled over themselves. "What? Why is his life in danger? He's not a ghost," Jack pointed out, nevertheless getting into the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle. Jazz and Vlad were already there, looking equally distressed as they stared at the screen mounted on the wall; no one questioned the man's sudden appearance. Tucker was quickly programming the RV to take them to the government-funded compound. 

"Twenty-five minutes until arrival," he announced. Another invisible Plasmius clone took over and followed the route, starting to drive. "Jack has a point," Maddie huffed, still wary but far less panicked. "Sure, the GIW is definitely corrupt and they cause more collateral damage than that scum Phantom, but they hunt ghosts, not humans."

Tucker's jaw clenched. "Sam, can you rewind the video?" She leaned forwards and did what was asked, starting it from the very beginning. The Fenton parents watched with increasing ease. "Kids, Danny won't be the one getting hurt," Maddie chuckled. "Yeah! I can't believe Phantom thought that he would get away with this! We should be thanking the Guys in White," Jack supported.

"Just watch," Jazz whispered, tears in her eyes; the two parents paused and glanced back at the screen. "... through a series of trial and error that we realized that Phantom was not only overshadowing him, but he had been doing so for such an extended period that they had fused at the molecular level. See trial number one." The feed cut to a prerecorded video. Danny was strapped to an upright table in the middle of the room, four glowing green cuffs pinning down his wrists and ankles. He was watching the agents warily.

_"This is trial number one,"_ a female agent spoke. _"Subject: Phantom; overshadowed, Daniel Fenton, male, 17. It is unclear how long it has overshadowed him for, but we have prepared a powerful ectogun to eject him from the boy's body."_ It was silent for a moment as the agents shuffled around in the background. Danny's eyes trained on something besides the camera, and he started to visibly tug at his cuffs. _"H-hey, guys, don't you think we could just put this all behind us? Just, like, come to a peaceful conclusion without any guns?"_ He tried, voice audibly wavering. _"Shut it, scum,"_ another agent spat. _"Commencing fire in three... two... one."_

At zero, there was a burst of sound and green light followed by a grunt of pain from Danny. Jazz whimpered, and Vlad's clone wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding the crying woman close. Maddie and Jack watched and listened with ever-growing horror as the camera refocused on Danny. A large, black burn was gouged in the tender space between his ribs. He was hunched over, black hair hiding his face from view. Their son was shivering and coughing, puking up acid as his body spasmed. The same female agent hummed. _"Trial one unsuccessful. Trial two is ready to be commenced."_

Tucker leaned out of his seat and skipped forwards onto the currently live feed, sparing them all the unnecessary pain of having to watch the rest of the tests. "Fifteen minutes left," he stated in the silence of the RV; the only other sounds were Jazz's quiet sobs and her parents' labored breathing. The lead scientist was talking again, yet none of them were listening. Maddie opened her mouth and then closed it. For a few moments more, it was quiet.

"Danny wanted to tell you," Sam whispered before glancing up at the two ghost hunters with red eyes. "Danny isn't being overshadowed by Phantom. He _is_ Phantom." Both parents gaped. "Sam, are-are you saying Danny is already _dead?"_ Maddie whispered, and she nearly collapsed in relief when the goth shook her head. "He's not dead— at least, not fully." 

"That's— what, do you mean? Are you saying he’s _half-_ dead?" Jack gaped when Sam nodded. "That's just not possible," Jack protested. Tucker stepped in, clearing his throat. "Three and a half years ago, you finished your portal to the Infinite Realms— the Ghost Zone," he corrected when he saw their confused looks. "When it didn't work and you both went upstairs, we... we convinced Danny to go into the portal." He gave them a pained smile. "He tripped over a few chords and pressed the 'on' button." It took a few moments for the Fenton parents to gather what he meant. 

"He was on the inside when it turned on," Maddie realized, tears gathering in her violet eyes. "Our baby was blasted with _three million_ volts of electricity, and it was enough energy to bond the ectoplasm to his cells." Both Sam and Tucker looked away, and Maddie sobbed into her hand at the silent confirmation. "How could I..? Jack, how could _we_ not notice that our son _half-died?”_ She cried hysterically, and Jack didn't answer, just putting his face in his hands without a word. "We've been _hunting_ him for three and a half years. We've been _shooting_ at him for three and a half years, Jack!" 

"That's not exactly the worst part," Vlad said quietly, being met with two teary pairs of eyes. "Vladdie, what do you mean? Did you know about this?" The clone winced. "I have since our college reunion. Danny requested that I keep it a secret." They both stiffened, and Maddie opened her mouth before pausing when Vlad held up his hand. "You can be angry with me later; I promise. Right now, this is more pressing." He glanced towards the screen. Kotarou sure loved to run his mouth. 

"Danny learned how to successfully make clones during his sophomore year of high school. Naturally, he wanted to experiment beyond making carbon copies of himself. So, he created one where it was purely Phantom; despite being a clone, it was nearly more powerful than Danny. His Fenton clone, however... it nearly died within almost a minute. Danny dispelled it out of pity before we could read an accurate time." The Fenton parents looked physically sick. "We've learned through the use of clones that Danny has a physical dependency on his ghostly half's presence, which is literally half of his body. While Phantom can replenish what is lost, Fenton cannot. That being said, if they split Danny from his ghost half—"

"Danny will die," Jack finished quietly. Vlad nodded and opened his mouth before getting nudged by Sam. "It's Danny." Immediately, all of their attention was on the screen. In the middle of a large white room filled to the brim with GIW agents was a rectangular glass box; it glowed a soft green. It was split in half by what looked like dark green glass. On the right side was Danny, loosely curled into a ball. The burn didn't look much better than it had on the prerecorded video, and multiple new burns and lacerations were coating his body in strategic places. Out of what could have been pity or a fucked up sense of justice, they were all stitched shut. Maddie felt nauseous to realize that they had been examing the inside of his body. He was as still as a corpse, and Jack would have thought him already dead if he couldn't see the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest.

"Oh, Danny," Jazz whispered, wiping away her tears only for new ones to replace them. Tucker's cheeks were wet, too, but he didn't seem to care; he was religiously checking the Nav to see how much time they had left until their arrival. Sam and Vlad seemed to be the only ones able to keep their emotions in check, yet Tucker and Jack knew their respective friends well enough to understand that they were reaching their breaking points.

The snap of Kotarou’s fingers echoed throughout the RV. Agent Alpha walked towards a keypad on the box. "No," Sam whispered. "No, no, _no!"_

"Come on, we only have five minutes left!" Tucker hissed between his teeth, panicked tears building in his eyes. 

"Don't touch him!" Jazz cried. "Don't touch my baby brother!" 

Maddie clutched onto her husband, tears cascading down her flushed cheeks. Never in her life had she ever been religious, but in this very moment, she prayed to every deity she could name. She needed her son to live. 

The real Vlad snarled at the mental images, creating more clones to help him fight off the wave of GIW agents that protected their base. He wished they hadn't chosen this time to be competent for once.

Danny struggled to sit up, finally lifting his head to look at the camera. His family's hearts broke at the acceptance in his eyes. "No, Danny, don't give up!" Sam begged, shoulders shaking. He gave them a soft, reassuring smile as if he could see them, as if he knew they were hurting.

"Thank you to everyone who stood with me, fought for me, and believed in me," he rasped, not watching the chief agent finish the preparations. A large, metal claw descended from the other side and moved through the green partition like it wasn't even there.

"Two minutes," Tucker choked out, but they all knew they were too late.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you." The claw wrapped around his torso, and he hissed when the burn was harshly scraped as it tugged him towards the divider. He didn't break eye contact with the camera, and Jack stifled a sob at all of the words left unsaid in his gaze. 

"I love you."

* * *

Danny dragged his hand over his face with a groan, reattaching the recently-filled Fenton Thermos to his belt. This was the _seventh time_ in two days that he had been woken up in the middle of the night, and even though he only needed six hours of sleep to properly function, it was still pushing it to have to wake up, fight, and try to fall back asleep afterward. With his dulled senses, the fights were starting to drag out longer, too.

It was for that same reason that he didn't know they were there until it was too late. One moment, Danny was using the peaceful night breeze to calm himself, and the next, a glowing green net crackling with electricity slammed into and wrapped around his body. A scream tore itself from his throat, his limbs seizing and spasming as he was forced to relive the experience of his death. Ectoplasm leaked from his pores, his form constantly trembling and melting and reforming.

He dropped out of the sky and onto the concrete with a loud splat. Ectoplasm arched across the concrete. With teary eyes, he could see GIW agents gather around him, speaking words Danny couldn't understand through the thick haze of burning _pain_ that blanketed him. He could feel himself being dragged somewhere, gravel and rocks digging into his sporadically jerking limbs. Then he was tossed into the back of a van. 

A stronger discharge left the net, and Danny faded into oblivion's loving embrace.

_Wake up._

Danny sucked in a deep breath, eyes snapping open as his instincts shouted at him to _move,_ but he was left disoriented by the blinding lights he was surrounded by. He went to get onto his feet, but all he could do was fruitlessly struggle in place. Something prodded him in the side, and he cried out as small volts of electricity coursed through his body. After a torturous few seconds, the device was pulled back, and he was left twitching and gasping on the table. Black spots danced in his vision as his muscles spasmed. 

"Subject 266 woke before I could electrocute it," a female voice spoke beside him, and Danny struggled to understand her through the buzzing in his ears. She was dressed in a white suit— sans a tie and accompanied with a lab coat. He couldn't read her nametag through his blurry vision. He could see the shaded lab goggles on her face, though, which must have been why the room was so fucking _bright._

"As previously observed," she continued, not sparing him a second glance, "the subject exhibits a higher sensitivity to electrocution than other ghosts. Further examination required." Without another word, she walked out of his line of sight. Beeping filled the room as she typed a password into a keypad. The door opened with a hiss before slamming shut behind her. 

Danny was left to quiver and twitch in silence. Now that he was alone, though, he was able to just barely lift his head to look at his wrists; they were bound in thick, glowing green cuffs. A quick glance at his ankles told him of their similar state. He felt mildly embarrassed when he realized he was wearing just a pair of white sweatpants, and a voice that sounded suspiciously like Sam snarled that his outfit change was the least of his problems. Then he laid his head back down and peered around the room. White— all of what he could see of it, at least. The only discrepancy was the camera that sat on a tripod to his left. 

He could feel his ghost-half sitting, repressed, in his chest, and he resigned himself to keeping that part of himself locked away. As stupid as he usually was, Danny wasn't that much of an idiot to believe that trying to force his full alter ego out was a good idea. The residual ecto-energy he normally exuded already made his wrists and ankles feel like they were doused in acid. The near-adult sighed. Getting caught by the GIW was on the top of his Anti-Bucketlist.

The door opening again caught his attention. He glanced up and out of the corner of his eye to watch a blond agent walk towards him; he could see _Agent L_ plastered on a nametag. "I'd prefer you to ask me to dinner first, but this is okay too." He repressed his snort at the utterly offended and disgusted look on the other's face. "Keep it up, you ectoplasmic residue. You won't be as confident when you aren't overshadowing a human's body."

Danny blinked. Just play dumb. "What?" Agent L scoffed before leaning down and fiddling with something underneath the table; he watched the agent as he spun him 180 degrees before tilting the table into an upright position. Now that he was facing the other direction, he could clearly see the door, as well as a one-way mirror. "Don't play stupid with me, _Phantom._ We uncovered your scheme the moment we shot you out of the sky. I bet you thought that you could get away with overshadowing the son of those incompetent ghost hunters. For scum like you, it was almost ingenious."

"First of all, don't insult my parents; they aren't the ones who generate millions of dollars worth in property damage, and they don't cause human casualties, either," he snarked, dutifully ignoring Agent L's red face. "Second, dude, what the _hell_ are you talking about? Do I _look_ overshadowed? Where's my ghostly aura? Where are my glowing eyes? Despite being some of the worst ghost hunters in existence, I thought you actually knew shit." The agent opened his mouth to respond, but Danny trucked on. "I radiate ecto-energy because I'm in my parents' lab so often. My parents probably radiate more than me because they work in their lab _24/7,"_ he hissed, taking silent satisfaction in the way Agent L looked appropriately cowed. "You think that, if I was actually possessed, my parents wouldn't know? _We live in the same home._ Just about every ecto-detector my parents have ever _made_ is active in our house; they would have caught him within _seconds._ Phantom is powerful. Even in the instance that he _did_ overshadow me, he would be exuding much more ecto-energy than I am right now."

Agent L was quiet, staring uneasily at him. Danny just glared right back, hoping he looked the right amount of upset. After a few tense moments, both of them looked away and towards the door, which was hissing open. "Nice try, _Phantom,"_ Agent Alpha mocked as he sauntered in. He was holding a very large ectogun that made Danny nervous. "We already took a sample of your blood." Danny inhaled sharply and hoped it wasn't too audible. "Even if Daniel was in those imbeciles' lab without protective gear as long as you claim he has been, there's absolutely no way his blood could be mixed so thoroughly with ectoplasm. We know you've been overshadowing him, and it's obviously been for a long time, considering how intertwined his body and ectoplasm are."

Agent L gained his wits back, nodding with a harsh expression. "You can't fool us, scum. We're going to expose you to everyone. You were never anyone's _hero,_ and you definitely won't be after this." Danny helplessly watched as Agent L turned away and moved the camera so that it was in front of the one-way mirror. The chief agent took up residence beside it. Agent L started the recording.

_"This is trial number one."_ Danny briefly glanced up at the ceiling when he heard the female agent over the intercom before looking back down. _"Subject: Phantom; overshadowed, Daniel Fenton, male, 17. It is unclear how long it has overshadowed him for, but we have prepared a powerful ectogun to eject him from the boy's body."_ Danny started to tug on the cuffs as he watched both agents take out noise-canceling headphones.

"H-hey, guys, don't you think we could just put this all behind us? Just, like, come to a peaceful conclusion without any guns?" He proposed, trying to quell the fear inside of him. Agent Alpha rolled his eyes. "Shut it, scum," he spat before turning on the headphones. Agent L held up three fingers for the other to see, and Danny's heart dropped down into his stomach. 

_"Commencing fire in three."_ The gun started to whine. 

_"Two."_ The room lit up green.

_"One."_ Agent L turned on his headphones.

_"Zero."_ The gun fired. 

Danny felt like he had been shot at point-blank by three of Skulker's missiles. The force alone caused him to hunch over as far as he could and puke. He felt most of his muscles seize but aside from a sharp ache, he couldn't feel anything from his stomach. He dry-heaved when the scent of burning flesh hit him, and he glanced down only to glimpse the large, agitated, black section of peeling skin and muscle that spanned most of his torso. He was going to feel that later. 

_"Trial one unsuccessful,"_ the woman hummed over the intercom. _"Trial two is ready to be commenced."_

Fuck.

* * *

Danny was mostly unconscious over the next three days. After the fourth trial, he blacked out and only awoke on day two when the agents violently roused him— with a scalpel. Luckily for him, he had to deal with them prodding around inside his body for only 30 minutes before slipping out of the realm of consciousness. Underneath all of the utter misery he was in, he was glad that his tolerance for pain wasn't high enough to keep him awake during that. In another act of mercy, every line they cut into him was stitched or stapled shut. He'd rather not bleed out before he was ~~possibly~~ saved.

For the day and a half after that, he was left to his own devices, which included laying on the floor, crying from the pain, recounting every single fact he knew about space to keep himself sane, all three at once, or just sleeping. He had hoped that it would remain like that for the foreseeable future, but Lady Luck had seemingly granted him peace for long enough.

He was in the middle of ranting to himself— and to any agents listening— about how unfairly NASA treated Pluto when the door opened and Agent O and Agent K stepped in. "My favorite agents," Danny quipped dryly. "Come to learn about the galaxy too?" 

"Not a chance, scum," Agent K grunted, chocolate lips downturned in a sneer. "It's time for another trial."

"I thought we were done with those," Danny grumbled to himself, biting back his yell of pain as they lugged him onto a rolling bed to avoid getting their precious suits dirty. He panted for a moment, blinking the spots from his eyes as he tried to slow his breathing and curb the pain to manageable levels. Neither agent paid attention, Agent K keeping his gun trained on him while Agent O strapped him down before wheeling him out of the room.

Danny glanced around the halls, which were teeming with agents. All of them watched as he was rolled past before following Agent K. "I didn't know I was so popular," Danny teased, dry lips cracking into a grin at the obvious annoyance on Agent K's face. "Your ego is atrocious," Agent O grunted. "It's called self-confidence. Maybe you'd have some too if your head didn't look like a malformed egg." Danny stifled his cry of pain when Agent K's gloved fingers dug into the Y on his chest. Yeah, okay, no more quips. 

For the rest of the ride, Danny held onto the tiny shred of value for his continued wellbeing and remained silent. It was only when he was wheeled into a very large room— white like every other _Ancients-be-damned room—_ that he spoke. "Why are we here?" Of course, he was ignored. The large group of agents filed in behind them and spread off into separate directions; underneath the chatter they all created, he could hear a low hum coming from the direction Agent O was wheeling him in. Danny didn't like the idea of this trial being significant enough to warrant a spectacle.

The three of them stopped beside what Danny could see as a large, glowing glass box. Agent O pulled open the door, and another agent came up to unstrap him before tossing him in. Danny couldn't withhold his cry at the multiple stabs of pain that ran through him. As he ran through a mental assessment of how his body was holding, he neglected to listen to the door close and lock. 

However, he did hear when a soft whine filled the air. Frantically, he looked around, trying not to move more than necessary. He glanced to his right, where a glowing green wall flickered into place. Danny had a sinking feeling that was what he was supposed to travel through. If this worked, Danny Fenton would be no more; he would fully die. He let out a slightly hysterical laugh. He had time to mentally prepare for this, and he hadn't. Distantly, he mused how he was always one to do things last minute. He hoped that Phantom would get out, at least. Maybe he could dull the pain of his death, make it seem more peaceful than it was going to be.

"We're live in five minutes!" An agent announced, and the room buzzed with renewed excitement. Danny's breath hitched. That's right— everyone in Amity would see this. His _family_ would see this. He wasn't ready for that.

His core ached from more than just experiments, and he wrestled with the urge to go ghost and try to fight his way out and back to his family. He had no idea what would happen to Phantom out there. At least, in here, he would be protected from the GIW's guns.

The room quieted, and he snapped out of his thoughts to watch an agent and a scientist walk in. While Danny was familiar with Agent Alpha, he didn't know the man beside him. The latter glanced over towards him, and Danny couldn't help but think he was staring into the eyes of a sociopath. 

The moment was broken when the man turned and situated himself between Danny and the camera; he waved his hand, and an agent quickly started the live stream. He tried to pay attention, to understand what was about to happen to him, but all he could think was _I don't want to go._

Dying was a unique experience. It was feared by many and used as a means to celebrate life by others. It was something that came eventually for everyone, even halfas like Vlad and himself. It was something Danny didn't want to repeat. His death was violent and painful, and he half-lived afterward to remember it, to obsess over it day and night in the hope that no one else would meet the same fates as those he fought— so no one would have to watch and listen to their best friend die in front of them as Sam and Tucker did. 

Danny could only stop and think how ironically unfair it was that they would have to watch it again, how his family would be there this time, how only half of him would live to protect Amity. 

Danny didn't want to give up.

He wondered if Phantom would miss Fenton.

Silently, Danny laid there until Kotarou snapped his fingers. The halfa's eyes locked onto Agent Alpha as the man walked up to Danny's box. After a moment, he forced himself to sit up. He gave the camera the most accepting, reassuring smile he could muster. Danny didn't want to give up.

But Phantom could fight for both of them.

"Thank you to everyone who stood with me, fought for me, and believed in me." Danny didn't bother paying Agent Alpha any attention. He knew he was done. He heard the box start whirring, but he only had eyes for his family. "I'm sorry it had to come to this. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you." He hissed when his wounds were scraped by the harsh edges of the claw. He could feel his staples pop as he was picked up like a ragdoll. 

He didn't bother begging Clockwork for more time. He just hoped his family could decipher everything he wanted to say.

"I love you."

Then he _screamed._

Danny didn't hear himself scream. He didn't see as the box lit up a violent green. He didn't register the heavy, irony taste of blood in his mouth. All his brain could compute was mind-numbing _pain_ as his cells were ripped in half and forced out opposite ends of his body. Sam and Tucker covered their ears because that was the _exact same scream_ as when he died. Maddie and Jazz could only scream with him. 

One scream became two, and the walls of their cage shook with the ghostly echo of Phantom's pained screech. The feed glitched for a few heart-stopping seconds before settling again.

Phantom's side of the box was coated in green. Ectoplasm seeped along the floor and quivered when it touched the walls. In the middle laid a lump of black and white. He did not move. 

On the left side of the box laid Fenton, spasming and choking on his own blood. The viscous fluid leaked from every opening in his body, his stitches ripped and staples littering the ground. The pale skin of his arms and chest were stained purple and blue and black where capillaries had ruptured. He weakly clawed at the ground, spreading what remained of his life fluid around. He coughed wetly, and red stained the walls.

Fenton knew what pain was. He felt it when he walked into the portal, when he watched his family die in front of him, and when he saw the dystopian future his older self had created. He could feel it now— his body ached. Every single organ, every single hair, every single _cell_ felt like it was imbued with liquid fire, and all Fenton could do was sit and feel it. 

He was so hot. He was so empty. He felt bare. He missed Phantom. The ghost's name left him in another weak, wet cough.

Phantom stirred. He could feel his disconnected, destabilized body strewn out on the floor. He could hear the chatter of dozens of humans through the cotton in his ears, and he could see red ooze into the edge of his vision. The acidic taste of ectoplasm sat on his tongue.

He shivered as he was wracked with a sudden chill. He felt like his core was freezing him from the inside out. He could hear the ice crackling along the ground around him. Why was he so cold? Where was his warmth? Where was his human? Where was Fenton?

_"Phantom."_

He paused. That sounded like Fenton. How could it be Fenton? Without him, he would die—

Phantom's form shuddered, and he eyed the red spot on his vision. Red. He heard a faint wheeze from beside him. Fenton. Fenton was red. Fenton was bleeding— he was _dying._

Phantom shuddered again, and he sat up, body melting like ice cream in the sun. Frantically, the ectoplasm that left him solidified. He forced himself to produce more. He would save Fenton.

All of the agents raised their guns and pointed them at Phantom. The deformed ghost raised up, form shuddering once more as it solidified into something resembling an eldritch horror. Turquoise, flame-like hair flickered above pitch black skin and neon green eyes shining like the headlights of a car. Mismatched fangs poked out from his lips, mouth forming into a too-wide snarl. His frost-covered arms hung at his sides, thin hands ending in thick, curved claws. They twitched periodically, catching on the smoke that curled off his black, misty spectral tail. It lashed and writhed behind him, the icy spikes along its spine sending frost crawling up the walls of the box.

Phantom shivered.

"The true nature of this so-called hero!" Kotarou announced from beside the camera, a hysterical laugh leaving him. Phantom's eyes snapped over to him. He disappeared in a puff of green smoke. Immediately, a clamor arose from the agents, and they all frantically looked around for the ghost. Phantom reappeared above the box, and a few agents aimed for him before freezing. Heavy, icy _terror_ coiled around each of them as Phantom forced his aura on them. He stared down at them with eyes as cold as the freezing tundras of the Far Frozen.

The camera glitched.

When it refocused, everything and everyone was coated in ice all the way up to the ceiling. The camera was now lopsided but still focused on a shivering Phantom as he quickly unlocked Fenton's side of the box with ice-coated claws. 

Fenton was burning from the inside out. All he could feel was blistering _heat._ Why was it so hot? Phantom was cold. Phantom was supposed to be with him. He was too empty. He was too hot. He wanted to be with Phantom. _He wanted to be—_

_Cold._

It sunk into his arms and crawled over his midsection. It caressed his hands and cupped his cheeks and brushed over his lips, and Fenton felt it wipe away the red tears that leaked from his eyes. His lips cracked into a bloody smile. With the cold came Phantom, and with Phantom came Danny.

He wanted to be whole again.

Phantom peered down at his human half and began unconsciously mirroring his form. He soothed his burned and cut skin with a thin layer of frost, clearing blood and tears from his mouth and nose and ears and eyes. He watched a smile spread across Fenton's face, and he grabbed one of his hands and laced their fingers together. Heat spread through the contact. The thought laid unspoken between them.

_Come back to me._

Phantom mended broken cells with his own, hand disappearing into Fenton's. Gently, he held him in his lap and rested their foreheads together. His human's warmth quelled the biting cold of his own body. Phantom's chill soothed the burning heat of Fenton's broken form. A soft equilibrium settled between them as arms seeped into their counterparts, as core and heart became one.

Phantom and Fenton shared one last breath before Danny was left behind, curled up and hugging himself. A few tears leaked from his eyes, and he laced his fingers together. He hoped both of them could hear his gratitude.

He was whole.

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, I'm sorry if anything happened to be too cliche. I ended up finishing this at 4 a.m., so ";)). That being said, if you have any criticism, it is so very welcome (especially if it involves grammatical errors!).
> 
> On a second note, I'm taking all of my medical knowledge from my mother, who was in the police force for 30 years. However, she doesn't know everything; if you spot something incorrect, please correct me!!
> 
> On a _third_ note, Agent L and Agent Alpha are canon GIW characters! But did anyone see who I snuck in ;))? They’re from an underrated anime I love with every fiber of my soul.  
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!


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